Charlotte Pitcher Shultz asks: I focus so much on the "perfect" outline, I burn myself out.
Toward the Crappy First Draft
Charlotte makes herself vulnerable, asking:
I would have so many books written by now if I didn't care about having the outline perfect. I burn myself out and never get to the actual writing.
How do you get over getting stuck in the outline?
Alle Sez:
How about if you try writing the book rather than the outline? Just get that first draft DOWN.
It will be crappy. Expect that.
You will not answer all your own questions. Expect that, too.
By the time you finish your first draft, you will know so much more: about your characters, about the layers the story has to give. Starting draft #2, you will have massive revisions regardless of the perfection of your outline.
Futzing too much with the everything leading up to the ending is not entirely a waste of time; I do like to leave a chapter having given it ten to 50 once-overs. However, that happens with second drafts, with thirds,and so on. (I just gave my editor full revision #15 of my current work-in-progress. Number 16: ho!)
Also: don’t switch/start a new project when the first one just gets challenging.
Your new mantra: Get that Crappy First Draft DOWN.